And william m



No. 6|2,859. Patented Oct. 25,1898.

R. D. MARSHALL &. W. M. CURRY.

THILL COUPLING.

(Application filed May 16, 1898.)

( N o M o d e l Prlomurua. WASHINGTON o c Nrrn Saree nn'rcn.

RICHARD D. MARSHALL, OF SEDALIA, MISSOURI, AND WILLIAM M. CURRY, OFHEPLER, KANSAS.

.THILL-COU'PLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,859, dated October25, 1898.

Application filed May 16, 1898. Serial No. 680,863. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RICHARD D. MAR- SHALL, of Sedalia, Pettis county,Missouri, and WILLIAM M. CURRY, of Hepler, Crawford county, Kansas, haveinventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Oouplers, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to thill-couplers and our object is to produce adevice of this character whereby the accidental disconnection of thethills is rendered impossible.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which is of simple, strong, durable, and inexpensiveconstruction and one by which the thills may be attached to or detachedfrom the vehicle quickly and easily.

With these objects in View the invention consists in certain novel andpeculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as will behereinafter described and claimed, and in order that theinvention may befully understood we will proceed to ,describe it with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents in side elevation athillcoupling applied in operative position. Fig. 2 represents a frontview of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the pivoted keeperdetached. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the base or clamp plate.

In the said drawings, 1 designates the forword axle-bar of a vehicle; 2,a clip of the ordinary U shape applied thereto and provided centrallywith depending bolt legs or exten sions 3 and with theforwardly-projecting apertured lugs or cars 4. 5 designates the base orclamp plate,which is fitted against the under side of the axle-bar, withthe depending bolt-leg projecting through it, nuts 6 being employed toclamp the clip and the plate reliably in position upon the axle in thecustomary manner. The clamp-plate is provided with a forward extension7, terminating in an upwardly-disposed hook 8, arranged parallel withthe axle about vertically below the apertures of said lugs or cars 4:. 9designates cylindrical pins which fit snugly but removably in theapertures of said lugs or cars, and 10 the thill-iron, having its eyejournaled upon said pins between said lugs or cars, as shown clearly inFig. 2, and secured to said thill iron in the customary manner is thethill 11.

The pin 9, before referred to, is not provided with a head at either endand is of such length that it does not project outwardly beyond the lugsor ears 4. Consequently to prevent it from Working endwise andpermitting the thill to become detached from the vehicle accidentally Iprovide a keeper constructed as follows:

12 designates a pair of plates which constitute the sides of the keeper,and they are connected at their lower ends by a cylindrical cross-rod 13and at their upper ends by a cross-bar 14:. The sides of this keeperarearranged a sufficient distance apart to fit snugly against the externalsides of the ears or lugs 4:, and when the keeper is in operativeposition the cross-rod 15 engages and is clamped by the hook 8 upagainst the lower edges of the ears or lugs 4 with sufficient pressureto render necessary the application of hand or equivalent power topivotally operate the keeper, which in its operative position overlapsthe ends of the pins 9,and consequently prevents the dislocation of thesame. To render it impossible for the thills to become detached from thevehicle short of breakage when in their operative position, (shown infull lines,)that is,when the animal is hitched to the vehicle-saidkeeper is provided with a cross-bar 14, which prevents the keeper movingor swinging forward far enough to uncover the pin 9 by striking thethill, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 1. When thethill is down or in its inoperative position, as shown in dotted lines,it aifords no obstruction to the forward movement or swing of the keeperuntil the approximately semicircular notches 16 in the side arms 12register with said pin, when the latter can be slipped endwise out ofposition and the thills removed. The thills can be replaced in operativeposition as easily. It will thus be seen that when the keeper is once inposition all that is necessary in removing the thills is to let themdown to their inoperative position, swing the keeper forward, as shownin dotted lines, and slide the pin 9 until it is disengaged ICO from theeyeof the thill-iron. In securing the thill in position this operationis reversed.

Thus it will be seen that We have produced a thill-coupler whichembodies the various features of advantage enumerated in the statementofinvention,which can be manipulated quickly and easily and whichabsolutely obviates all chance of the accidental disconnection of thethills from the vehicle, and it 1s to be understood, of course, thatchanges which do not involve a departure from the spirlt and scope ofthe invention We may resort to.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

A thill-coupling, comprising a clip for engagement with a vehicle-axle,a clampingplate 5 secured to said clip and against the bottom of theaxle, and provided with a hook extension 8, projecting forwardly, aheadless pin 9 fitting in the ears of the clip, a thill- RICHARD D.MARSHALL. VILLIAM M. CURRY.

Witnesses as to signature of Richard D. Marshall:

E. Y. GINN, B. F. BRAY. Witnesses as to signature of William M. Curry:-

0. F. LEwIs, G. E. WHITNAT.

